


Trouble Begins

by Caiti (Caitriona_3)



Series: The Cahill Project [18]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Grimm (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Family, First Meetings, Gen, Trinity of Trouble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 08:52:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14808180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caiti
Summary: The fateful meeting of the Trinity of Trouble...from the other side of the coin





	Trouble Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Yep - you've seen MOST of this from Grant's POV, but we wanted to share Dacia's too! This goes with GT2: If You're Going Through Hell - chapter 25: First Meet (Early December 2010)
> 
> Enjoy

[ ](https://imgur.com/9l7rhoW)

In the few weeks since her arrival, Dacia Liekos had learned a few things about her new pack.

Number one - all of them tended to be crazy in one way or another.

Number two - they loved each other with a fierceness that she envied.

Number three - Nobody, absolutely nobody, argued with Marina when it came to the feeding of her family.

And so she followed Marina into the Medical without a single complaint, no matter how her nose twitched at the mingled scents of sickness, disinfectant, unhappiness, and death. She wanted to sneeze, hating the smell as it tried to wrap around her. Her nose wrinkled as she caught some scents coming from the kitchens. How bland can you get? A handful of scents….Marina’s rose, lavender, lemon, and sage made her feel better…as did the hint of cloves she picked up as they made their way down a particular hall. _How did Vincent manage this day after day?_

Various men and women in nursing uniforms spotted the pair of them and scurried off. 

“Scared little rabbits, aren’t they?” she muttered.

Marina ignored her as she zeroed in on one nurse in particular, the only nurse not to run. Relief filled her face instead. Not a rabbit then. Dacia thought she might like this one for that alone. The teenager stayed quiet, listening and taking in details. She might not like this place, but it was central to Vincent’s life, so she needed to get to know it…and that included the people.

The soft male voice begging to be left alone pricked her ears. Something about it tugged at her…maybe it’s desperation? She knew what it was to be desperate – desperate for control, for independence. Was this the man Marina was so worried about? The one Will called ‘her boy’? Dacia’s instincts began to swirl and she felt herself dropping into a guardian mindset. Slipping into the room, she watched as Marina sat on the floor next to the patient.

Her eyes narrowed as she watched the tall man all but curl himself into tiny Marina’s lap. It should probably look sillier than it did, but he had such a miserable air about him. He looked like nothing less than a little boy desperate for Mama to make it better. 

And Marina did her best - bundling him in and out of the shower, setting him up in bed, and digging out the bright blue travel mug - with the man following her directions without hesitation. So less than thirty minutes after they entered the room, Dacia watched as he drank some tomato soup . . . and stared back at her, whisky-colored eyes hard and dark.

He was suspicious of her.

She stayed back, close to the door. Whatever his issue with her might be, Dacia figured upsetting him would make him worse and that would upset Marina. The teenager didn’t want to risk her new home by pissing off the family’s alpha female or setting off her protective instincts. And those instincts had to be in overdrive already, considering how the guy drank his soup as if it might vanish when he blinked. This was the guy they were worried about feeding? Of course, if they tried to feed him the crap she could still smell down the hallway . . . well, if that was the case, she wouldn’t have been eating either. He had her sympathies.

Or he would . . . if he’d quit staring at her like he expected her to go for his throat.

Marina rolled her eyes. “Grant, I’d like you to meet Dacia Leikos. She and her sister, Inari Todd, have recently become a part of the family. They’re living with Vincent and Catherine now. Dacia, this is my boy, Grant Ward.”

Dacia acknowledged the introduction with a flick of her eyebrow, but her attention never waivered. Their wariness competed in several moments of silence before she tried to help settle him down by leaning back on the wall. Maybe a little humor would help? "If you get sick, can I have the sandwich?"

"Not a fucking chance in hell,” came the immediate response.

"At least your mental state is in good shape," she nodded, satisfied as the mood in the room defrosted a bit. Still...if he’d agreed to let Marina’s cooking go, she’d have recommended a psychiatrist. 

"Too bad the rest of me is falling apart."

"I can see where that would suck," she agreed. Then she tilted her head and decided to try and risk a little bit more. "So... Can I come closer now or is that still a bad idea?"

"I guess that depends," he replied honestly, glancing at Marina before grunting, "Hail HYDRA?"

_Hydra?_ Dacia blinked at him, confusion swirling through her. Was that supposed to mean something? _And why would he be hailing it?_ "What the hell is a hydra?"

Surprise lit his eyes and Marina chuckled. “I already vetted her, love. She’s clean.”

“You thought I was clean too, remember?” he muttered, misery clear in his voice. “I’m just trying to protect you.”

“I know, it’s okay.”

“No, I’m serious.” Dacia cocked her head, a bit impatient with both of them. “What the HELL is a hydra?”

“A mythical creature, with three heads,” Marina replied with a wry grin. “You cut off one of the heads and two more grow back in its place. Hercules killed the beast as one of his trials.” 

“It’s also the emblem of a rival spy organization . . .” Grant continued, bringing the mug back to his lips with a sigh as he swallowed more of the liquid.

“If it’s a rival organization,” she frowned, Irritation swirled into the bewilderment, “why the hell would anyone hail it?”

“It’s complicated, Dacia. Suffice it to say, that HYDRA is a bad news bear, and Grant has a vested interest in making sure that anyone affiliated with them keep their distance.”

"Like I could be a spy." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not that subtle - ask Inari." For a moment she thought he was about to say something, but then he began to choke. Her protective instincts flared and she found herself at his bedside before she realized she was moving. “Is he okay?”

“Don’t panic,” Marina ordered. “If you panic, he’ll panic.”

Dacia watched as the older woman talked her boy through his attack. She began to match her breathing to theirs as if that might help the situation. As he began to calm down, she pulled herself up onto the bed, sitting near his feet and leaning against the footboard. Things finally began to stabilize when the sound of steps reached her ears. She ignored them until they entered the room. Even as she began to turn, Grant glanced up and flinched.

Moving with preternatural speed, the teenager rolled off of the bed and landed on her feet between the door and the two people at her back. Any danger would have to go through her first. Her nostrils flared as a sour scent began to fill the room. Hunting instincts came to the fore and she stilled, waiting for the right moment to strike. 

“No maiming, Dacia-sweetie.” 

Marina’s laugh cleared the air enough for Dacia to relax her shoulders. Her lips twitched, but she refused to let her attention to waver. An orderly stood in the door, staring as if surprised to find the two females in the room. His continued silence began to annoy her. “Something I can do for you?” she snapped. She could feel a growl beginning to rumble in her chest, but she did her best to hold it back. This was no time to go revealing secrets.

“Feeding tube.” He held up his hands, showing off the tubing there.

A quiet whimper behind her caused her to stiffen, her shoulders tightening in preparation for an attack. The scent of fear rolling through the room all but pushed her to the balls of her feet. Did this idiot even realize how close he was to death? “He doesn’t need it.”

“He won’t eat,” the man replied. “Doctor’s orders.”

“He's eating fine now,” Marina insisted, tone brittle and thoroughly pissed off. “So you can go.”

“All due respect, Agent Petrovka, but I am not your thug. I have my orders.”

“Over my dead body,” Dacia hissed, cobalt blue disappearing behind a haze of blood red. “Get the hell out.”

The Russian’s tone was furious. “I have my own orders from his doctor, so I'm going to insist you get out of here before I call Dr Keller and we see which of us has the most accurate ones.”

“And I can guarantee that if you take one more step towards him with the intent of inserting that tube? It’s getting forcefully shoved someplace dark and uncomfortable.” Dacia growled, eyes glinting as her upper lip curled baring her teeth in a sneer.

“You are a child,” the orderly hissed, his features twisting into a superior expression. “Children should be rarely seen and never heard. You should keep your nose out of business that does not concern you.”

A harsh laugh burst from her. Child? She hadn’t been a child since she was twelve years old. “I haven’t been a child in years, but don’t worry. You won’t see or hear me when I come for you. As for this not being my business? I’m making it my business.” The scent of cloves grew stronger; Vincent was coming. She shrugged and leaned forward, keeping his attention on her. “You’re threatening the guy with something he clearly doesn’t want or need - and it’s making him uneasy.”

Vincent's tone was a low rumble from behind the orderly as he growled, “Michaels! What the hell is going on in here?”

Dacia’s lips curved into a sardonic smile as the orderly jumped. She glanced back over her shoulder, eyes flicking from Grant to Marina and back, before she turned to meet Vincent’s over the orderly’s shoulder. One brow arched. “Some of your staff leave a lot to be desired,” she informed him. “Isn’t there some medical clause about ‘do no harm’?”

“It's called the Hippocratic Oath,” Miranda chimed in from where she stood behind the doctor. Yeah, Dacia decided she liked this woman - she wasn’t a rabbit.

“This idiot needs to relearn it,” Dacia sneered as she took a step towards the man in question. His fear spiked, making her almost bounce with excitement. “Before I use him as a practice dummy.”

“Dacia, please don't beat up my orderlies,” Vincent sighed as he came into the room. “Even if they do deserve it.” He glowered at Michaels before crossing to the bed, his hands removing the stethoscope from around his neck. “Afternoon Grant. I heard it was a long night for you. I apologize for that - my staff should know better.”

“Your ‘staff’ is an idiot,” Dacia grumbled, “who all but insulted Marina when she told him Grant had eaten and the tube wasn’t needed.” She tracked Vincent to the bedside before turning her scowl back to the orderly. “A feeding tube isn’t damn well needed if the patient has just eaten!”

Vincent didn’t reply to her, focusing his attention on Grant. “Marina's tomato soup, huh?” he asked, warm approval in his voice. “How much have you had so far?”

“Going slow,” Grant replied. “Don't wanna get sick again.”

“Vincent?” Dacia’s voice took on a whining note. It wasn’t her usual style, but she wanted this jackass away from them. He didn’t have any business watching her pack. “If I can’t beat this guy up, can I at least throw him out of the room?”

“Don’t whine,” the doctor noted in an absent-minded fashion causing her to roll her eyes. “And maybe not throw, but yes, you can remove him.”

“Excellent!” She gave Grant a bright, cheerful grin. Something hard and wild built inside as her head turned back towards the bully. “Time to go,” she drawled, stalking forward with a predator’s grace. If he ran, she’d let him go, but if he got stubborn…. 

Oh yeah, that could be fun!

Apparently he had more sense than she thought – he bolted before she got within arms’ reach.

“Seriously, who is this girl?!” Grant demanded as the door shut behind the running man.

“You’ve heard of Red Riding Hood?” Dacia shot back as she bounced towards the bed. She settled at the foot of the bed, her hands curling over the foot board. Something feral shaded into her smile. “Well I’m the Big Bad Wolf.”

“Big Bad Wolf, huh?” Grant snorted at the statement. “You look kind of short.”

“Taller than Marina,” the teenager pointed out, leaning forward on her hands. “And yet I’ve seen some big guys walking on eggshells when she frowns.” Her eyes sparkled. “I’m pretty sure I saw a bunch of people snapping to attention on our way in too.”

“No . . . but Vipers are tiny. Wolves are typically large and terrifying.”

“Vipers?” she tilted her head in curiosity and then shrugged. “Female wolves are usually smaller than their male counterparts and just as deadly.”

He sipped some soup, apparently thinking about her words. “Good point.”

Dacia braced her hands on the footboard and kicked off the floor, maneuvering herself up onto the end of the bed in an easy manner. Settling herself on the thin frame, she smirked into his narrowed eyes. “Looks can be deceiving you know.”

“Clearly.” A gleam of admiration threading through the caution as he watched her.

“No more showing off,” Vincent cut in as he tugged on a lock of blonde hair. “That’s no way to keep a secret.”

“I don’t think we’re keeping secrets like that from him?” Dacia glanced between the woman and the doctor. “Not with her being all mom-like.”

Grant raised both eyebrows before the others could reply. “Do I want to know?”

“Hey, just be grateful the big man was here,” she chirped, giving him a cheerful wink. “Otherwise your room could have wound up a crime scene.”

“If it'll get me out of here, feel free to kill anyone you like,” the specialist huffed, slumping back into the mattress. He shot back up with a wince. "Except Marina. Do NOT kill Marina."

“Well we could do that,” she chuckled, amused by the idea. Blutbad or no, she knew better than to try and walk that road. She wasn’t that kind of stupid. “Or I could just throw you over my shoulder like a damsel in distress and haul you out of here. But I think Vincent would ground me for that one.”

“Probably,” the doctor agreed, his own chuckle joining hers. “No sneaking the patient out of Medical. He's IN Medical for a damn good reason.”

“He can’t heal if he can’t sleep or is afraid of those surrounding him,” Dacia pointed out with a shudder. “It’s like telling Inari to sleep while surrounded by Geier!” She waved a hand towards Grant “Don’t tell me you couldn’t smell his fear.”

Vincent smiled, saying nothing, as Grant muttered like a petulant child. “I was not scared.”

“Say what you want but the nose knows.” Dacia informed him with a grin as she tapped the side of her nose. “But it won’t be mentioned outside this room.”

He slumped back into the mattress with a pout, before a large yawn caught him off guard. His eyes opened and closed in a series of slow blinks as he muttered, “Not tired. Honest.”

“And the sky’s not up.” Dacia rolled her eyes, leaning forward to poke him in the leg. This guy fit in from what she could see; he was too stubborn for his own good. An idea glimmered in her mind, one tinged with both anticipation and old sorrow. “Go to sleep before I steal your sandwich.”

“Don’t touch my sandwich,” he muttered, another yawn ruining the effectiveness of his scowl. His attempt at an evil eye came off better, but still lacked real punch. “Marina won’t let you.”

Dacia turned an amused look on the woman in question. Marina snatched up the sandwich and bopped the teenager on the nose with one gentle finger. “One should always be aware of the Queen in Chess, da? There is typically only one per side, Dacia.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she huffed in exasperated amusement. “I wasn’t actually going to take his sandwich for the record, I was just . . . testing him.” 

Marina chuckled as she shook her head in amusement. "Uh-huh."

"I was!!" she insisted before looking back to the now sleeping man. “He seems like a good fit for your pack; at least when he’s back at a hundred percent and not fearful of jackasses.”

Vincent and Marina exchanged a worried look between them, before Vincent spoke, “Dacia, for the moment, Grant can't be part of the pack. It would put him, Will, Marina and the entire family in danger.”

She blinked at him as if he’d grown another head. “He can still be part of the pack without being in the middle of it 24/7. Pack is family but that doesn’t mean you don’t need time away from them on occasion.”

“And while that's true, you can't tell anyone he's pack. As far as you know, he's one of my best friends and Marina's asset. Period, okay?”

“Please, I wasn’t born yesterday. I’d rather rip someone’s throat out than talk to them here . . . present company excluded.” She shook her head. “Besides, if you say he’s supposed to be a secret, then he’s a secret. Subtle isn’t my thing, but I can lie like a pro.” A wry grin twisted her lips. “I’ve certainly had the practice. He’s only pack to you guys and Will; I get it.” Then she tilted her head towards Miranda. “And her. I like her – she’s not a rabbit.”

“We like her too,” Marina chuckled with a grin.

“Official statement!” Miranda beamed. “I'm in! Yes!!”

“Nice to know we’ve made somebody happy,” Dacia chuffed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out an apple. Taking a bite, she began to wander the room. 

Vincent’s hand snapped out to grab her wrist before she got more than a step or two. “What’s this?”

Blinking at him in wary surprise, she followed his gaze to the fruit and back. “It’s…an apple?”

“Did you get it at Marina’s?”

“Wasn’t there long enough to do more than say ‘Hey’ to Will before Marina thrust a cooler at me and pulled me out the door,” Dacia shrugged. 

Marina blinked in surprise. “Was I **that** abrupt?”

“Then where did you get it?” Vincent quizzed, not giving Dacia a chance to answer the other woman. “We didn’t have any at home.”

“I didn’t steal it.”

“And I’m not accusing you,” he responded, too quick and warm to be anything other than truthful.

Her shoulders relaxed. “We passed a market on the way to Marina’s,” she explained. “They’d gotten in a new shipment, so we knew they’d thrown out the older stuff.”

“Dacia…” His voice trailed off as sorrow softened his expression. “You don’t have to dig through trash anymore, sweetheart.”

“Old habits die hard,” she murmured before looking down to take another bite.

Vincent pulled her close to press a kiss to her temple. She didn’t stiffen and pull away as she might have a couple of weeks ago, but she still felt a little odd. He offered her a crooked smile. “Cat and I will keep some fruit around the house,” he told her. “As well as some other snack items so you can take whatever you want without digging in the trash, okay? You can keep some snacks in your room if you want – as long as it’s in a container or wrapped up.”

“Yeah…” It felt weird, so weird to have people looking after her again. She wanted to change the subject. Her eyes fell on Grant. “So…he’s stuck here and only you guys take care of him?”

“Sam comes by whenever he’s in town,” Marina informed her, seeming a little distracted as she glared at the apple in Dacia’s hand. The young blonde recognized that look; she’d become familiar with it over the past couple of weeks. She’d bet on more snacks showing up as soon as the shorter woman got back in her kitchen. “So do Mishka and Brian.”

“Huh.” She tilted her head. “He needs more than that,” she decided. “Especially since he’s probably the type of guy who’s all stubborn about touchy-feely, chick-flick stuff.”

“Excuse me?” Vincent frowned at her.

“A lot of guys are all stoic and stubborn about touch,” Dacia replied. She glanced up at him. “Pack needs to be touched. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a healthy pack, but I know that.” Waving a hand over towards the sleeping figure, she shrugged. “So I’ll bet he’s not getting enough.”

Miranda leaned against the wall, an amused smile playing over her lips. “Planning to mother him?” 

“Oh, I’m not thinking of trying to be Mama,” Dacia chortled. “Marina’s got that all zipped up.” She tapped one finger against her lips. “But I bet he could use a bratty little sister.” Mischief danced in her smile. “I’m all over that.”

“Sounds kind of boastful,” the nurse teased. “You sure you’re up for it?”

Memory cut at her for a moment, but she pushed it away. Not soon enough, not based on the concern beginning to flood into the faces of the three adults, but she lifted her chin and met their eyes with her own steady gaze. “I wasn’t an only child,” she admitted, letting the sorrow flicker before sending a sidelong glance towards Grant. “And I know when a guy needs someone to pester him out of a funk.” She let her grin spread as the old sorrow faded. “Nothing like a sister to pull that off.”

Vincent stared at her in silence for a long moment. This his lips twitched. His gaze shifted to Grant and back to her, a glint of wicked humor beginning to gleam in his own eyes. “I may regret this,” he began.

“But doesn’t it sound like fun?” Marina finished with a wink.


End file.
